Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Small Milestones (and Grilled Oysters)

It's been a big couple of days at the Wolford household.  First, on Monday night I got to see and hear Jackson's first confirmed laugh.  Conveniently, he was laughing at me changing his recently soiled diaper!  Second, yesterday Jackson had his first (2nd, 3rd, and 4th) roll.  Here's a video:


Jackson's second roll

I know to a lot of people this is a pretty small thing.  You always hear other people talk about how fast kids grow and change, but until you experience it first hand, it really just sounds cliche.

I was pretty frustrated for the first 4-5 weeks.  Mostly because I was inexperienced, and didn't have what Jackson needed (breastmilk).  Instead, it seemed most of my time was spent changing diapers, and taking him back to Leah for feeding.

But, in the last couple of weeks, I've been able to give him more bottles.  I've also gotten to keep him more myself, and spend more time with him in general.  At first, Jackson was for lack of a better phrase..."a blob."  But recently, he's starting to give feedback and show a little bit of personality....which has really started to be a lot of fun.

As I see him continue to grow and develop, I can honestly say that I'm getting more and more excited about all the small milestones along the way.

Now for the food...

Tonight I decided to try something a little different - grilled oysters.  I got a great deal on a couple dozen at Whole Foods, and used this recipe from Emeril Lagasse. 

Since I didn't have a shucking knife, I quickly threw them on the grill to open them up.  Then, I used a small knife/screwdriver (yes, I know...slightly ghetto) to shuck the oysters.  Next, I spooned on the spiced garlic butter/herb/Parmesan cheese  mixture, and put them back on the grill for 3 minutes.

They turned out to be pretty delicious, a nice change of pace from the BBQ and chicken that we've had lately.  Here's a picture of the finished product:

Pretty solid!

Time to go, Amazon just delivered enough diapers for a small army of babies, 516 to be exact!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Cajun Brined Turkey (Thanksgiving)

Every Thanksgiving I always trek back to Virginia for a gathering at either my parents, or grandparents house.  With Jackson's arrival, this year was a little different.  Since babies take so much stuff (everyone says it, but they really do!), we thought it would be a great year to have family come to Birmingham.  So my parents, as well my sister Erin and her boyfriend Erik made the journey to Alabama.

Since Leah and I were hosting Thanksgiving, we were also responsible for putting together the menu for the meal.  We decided to do a few things different from the traditional Thanksgiving menu.  Leah took the sides - including chipotle smashed sweet potatoes, and atomic peas; and I took the turkey.

We've started recording Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction on the Food Network, where he uses every type of grill imaginable (including a Big Green Egg) and really wanted to try a recipe he recently featured for a Cajun Brined Turkey on the Big Green Egg.


All of the ingredients

Bobby's cooking has a large Southwestern influence, and this recipe called for a few harder to find ingredients to go into the handmade Cajun rub.  A trip to the local Mexican grocery store took care of the last ingredients (New Mexican Chiles, Chile de Arbol, etc.).

Apparently there is a difference between chili and chile powder. Chili powder is commonly found in grocery stores and typically includes Cumin, Salt, and Oregano among other things.  Chile powder is pure ground chiles.  Since this recipe called for New Mexican Chile powder, I bought whole  New Mexican Chiles, and used a food processor/coffee grinder to grind them into Chile Powder.  It smelled phenomenal!

New Mexican Chile Powder

Next, I put the turkey into the brine (salt, sugar, and half the spice rub among other things) for 24 hours.

In the brine

After 24 hours in the brine, the turkey was rinsed, patted dry, and left in the fridge to air out and let the skin crisp up/better take the rub.

All rubbed up and ready to go

I set the BGE up with the plate setter for indirect cooking at 350 degrees, using apple chips and chunks for added smoke.  I used a roast rack and a foil drip pan to catch all the runoff for the gravy. (which turned out great, it captured all the flavors of the rub in the gravy).

Two hours later, here's the finished product - 165 degrees in the breast, and 175 degrees in the thigh.

Moneyshot!

As you can tell from the video, it was incredibly juicy!  All of the reviews were great, so I think this will have to be a keeper.  Here's a shot of it carved for the Thanksgiving table.


Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Penguin's Arrival

So two more weeks have passed since I've written.  This time it's been for quite a good reason.

When I ended my last blog post, Leah and I were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our son, also know as the penguin, or "pengu".

Well, last Wednesday night (10/12) it all finally happened.  I went to an early dinner with my boss at 5 o'clock.  Leah was going to join us, but I found out that her friend Amy had flown in from Wisconsin to surprise her at dinner with Susan, one of Leah's other friends from Memphis.  I refer affectionately to Amy and Susan as "Salt-N-Pepa".

After dinner, I met up with Leah and company.  When I got to the restaurant I could tell immediately something was up.  Leah seemed uncomfortable, and had a look I had never seen before on her face.  Her friend Susan looked up and said "We're going to have a Penguin tonight!".  Then I thought to myself...Oh S&$%, this is going to happen tonight.



We made our way home, and started timing contractions (yes, there's an iPhone app for that).  A few laps around the block, and it was too uncomfortable for Leah to walk anymore.  Around 10:45, I called the doctor's office to let them know we would be coming in tonight.  As I was on the phone with them, her water broke.  Yep, this really is going to happen tonight.

I grabbed all of our bags for the hospital from the nursery (aka The Penguin Palace).  We got to the hospital at 11:15, and the contractions were still getting stronger and closer together.  It was killing me to see her in so much pain.  Around midnight, Leah got her epidural....I would have asked for it upon arrival!

She kept progressing until around 5 AM, when everything seemed to stall.  As it turned out, our son's head was too big, literally - just like his father.  Around 11 AM, after 12 hours of labor, her doctor called it - time for a C-Section.  I'm notorious for having a pretty weak stomach.  I passed out after seeing the birthing videos in Sex Ed during high school, and here I was about to see it first hand.

Luckily, I made it through.  The surgery was very quick, and before I knew it, I was looking over the top of the curtain at our son - Jackson Foster Wolford

 
The mask hides the fact that I was crying like a baby


Jackson was 7 lbs, 8 oz., 20-3/4" long, and scored two 9/10's on his APGAR test (which is very good, and uncommon for C-Section babies).  Leah did a great job, both throughout her pregnancy and labor, and blessed me with a happy, healthy, baby boy.

 Me and Jackson, proud as can be

We spent the next few days in the hospital, letting Leah recover, having friends visit, and getting to know Jackson.  My family made it in from Virginia, and helped welcome us home from the hospital on Saturday.


 
Jackson and his Grandma and Grandpa Wolford

So begins our journey as parents....

 
Jackson Foster (and his fauxhawk) after his first bath



Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Catching Up...

Wow, over two weeks since I've written!  It's been a busy couple of weeks, but as I got home and finished the day's work, put a pork tenderloin on the grill, and enjoyed a beer....I decided it would be a good time to catch up, so let's see what has happened....

I spent all of last week in Greenville, SC at a training class for work.  It was a great opportunity to catch up with other salesmen from around the US, and see people that I talk to everyday, but rarely get to see in person.  Busy, but fun week.

The Hokies took one on the chin from Clemson.  Quite possibly the most difficult Hokie football game I have watched in a while.  We looked absolutely terrible on offense, hopefully we can regroup like usual and work our way into the ACC Championship game for a rematch against Clemson.  That would also mean I could win back the Clemson shirt that I had to buy for a co-worker....and will also have to wear for a day at our regional meeting in November.  Gag...


Yuck

When I got back from Greenville, Leah took me to go see Moneyball, the movie adaptation of the Michael Lewis book. The book is one I read years ago, and has always been one of my favorites.

 
 Numerical Data Crunching + Baseball = My Heaven
It's true story about the Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane, who was the first to use a numerical approach to dispel years of baseball myths about put together a winning baseball team.  Leah actually enjoyed the movie (whether she was lying or not, I couldn't tell).

Oh yeah....still no baby!  I think Leah and I are both ready for him to be here.  I even pulled out all the stops and made "Labor Inducing Eggplant Parmesan."  My mom passed along a recipe from a restaurant in Georgia that claims to have had over 300 women go into labor within 48 hours of eating their eggplant parm. 


Although Leah said it was better than Gianmarco's (the best Italian restaurant in Birmingham), 48 hours came and passed without any luck.  Less than one week until the official due date, so the next blogpost could very well be saying he's here!

 

Sunday, September 18, 2011

(Former) Fat Boy

"How much do you weigh?" my father asked.  It was a simple question.

"Honestly, I don't know," I responded.  Embarrassingly, I really didn't know the answer. 

"Go step on the scale," my father prompted.

We were in the middle of loading everything I owned into the moving truck.  I'd just graduated college, and spent the last few months enjoying the summer.  But, now it was time for me to move to Greenville, SC to start my first grown-up job.

I walked into the house, and stepped on the scale.  It read 225 pounds...

While I've never considered myself to have been in great shape, I'd never been outright fat

That's me second from the left...with the belly and the nice manboobs

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Cedar Planked Tilapia

Leah is vegetarian, kind of.  She'll eat some fish, and shrimp, but that's it.  Usually it's not an issue if we eat out at a restaurant, or even cook at home.  But it severely limits our options when it comes to grilling something that both of us will enjoy.  I'll grill a delicious piece of animal flesh, and she'll have a veggie burger....yuck.

Nothing like overpriced soy shaped into a burger that is supposed to taste like chicken!

So help me, if our son is a vegetarian, I'm seriously going to have a come apart.  Anyways...
Like I said, one of the few things she'll eat is fish, specifically Tilapia.  So last weekend, I wanted to cook dinner for her, and had been waiting to use some cedar grilling planks that I had picked up at a local grilling store.  Grilling planks are pieces of untreated wood, that you soak beforehand, and cook the meat (usually fish) directly on.  As they heat up, they'll smoke lightly and transfer that flavor to the fish.  But, because they're soaked, the planks also steam the fish and keep it tender as it's being cooked.

For this recipe, I soaked my cedar planks in some cheap white wine.   You can also use beer, or water.  The tilapia was seasoned with a sample of Dizzy Pig's Swamp Venom rub.  


The corn was boiled for a half hour and then seasoned with Tony Chachere's.  We haven't been thrilled the last couple of times we've grilled corn, so we decided to try a new method that we picked up from a local seminar given by Chef John Henry.  Boiling it in the husk cooks the corn, and then when it's placed on the grill, it steams inside the husk.

Chef John Henry's brisket was so good, even Leah loved it! (seriously)

Set the Big Green Egg up for direct grilling at 400 degrees.  Next, place the planks on the grill and let them heat up a few minutes on each side, this also seasons the planks.  Once the planks start to smoke and crack, it's time for the fish.  Cook the fish until it lightly flakes, which shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.


Both the Tilapia, and the corn turned out great.  The fish was slightly smoky, and the Tsunami Spin seasoning was delicious (I might have to get a full bottle...*cough*Christmas present*cough*).  John Henry's corn on the cob method worked well, as it didn't dry out or need any extra butter.

Finished product, with Quinoa and green beans.

The Karjala beer is from Finland, courtesy of our friend Mary.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Monkey Shoes!

The 1960 Olympic marathon was won in 2:15:17 by Adebe Bikila. Barefoot.

 Adebe Bikila

Last year I began toying around with moving towards barefoot training.  Obviously you can't walk around barefoot, so there are a number of shoes that offer a barefoot alternative. My first step was buying a pair of Nike Frees last July.  Nike Frees are less cushioned than regular shoes, but aren't a true "barefoot" shoe.  I've used them mostly for weight training and some light running, and have really liked them.

Beer Butt Chicken

Beer Butt Chicken is a Big Green Egg staple.  I love it for a few reasons.  The chicken turns out incredibly juicy, it's very difficult to screw up (although my wife claims to have caught an entire chicken on fire), and for $5 you have enough meat for 4-5 meals for cheap.

The reason it all turns out so well, is because chicken is steamed from the inside using a can of beer (or wine, or even sprite).  Tons of roasting stands are available, such as this one. Mine is a cheap metal stand that I picked up for $5.

First, pour half of your beer in a glass, and enjoy.  Keep the half of the beer that's still in the can, you'll need that later.

Next, rinse off your chicken, and clean out the inside.  Then, apply a light coating of olive oil or butter.  Finally, apply a generous amount of rub all around.  Literally everywhere.  Even under the skin and inside the bird.  For this chicken, I used Dizzy Pig's Swamp Venom.

 Ready for the grill

Now, grab the half of the beer left in the can from earlier.  If you've already drank that beer too, kudos.  You'll need to open another beer.  Insert the can into your roaster, and then up the chicken's backside.  Note- if you don't have a roaster, put the can directly into the chicken, and use the two legs to create a tripod.  It's slightly ghetto, and a bit tricky to balance, but works in a pinch.

Setup the BGE for direct grilling at 325-350 degrees.  To crispen the skin, put the chicken directly on the grill for around 20 minutes (or longer).  Next, place a drip pan underneath the chicken.  This will shield the chicken, and cook it indirectly for the rest of the time. 


The chicken is done when the internal temperature hits 180 degrees.  Let it rest/cool off for 15 minutes, and then cut.  I had no idea how to properly carve a chicken the first time I made a beer butt chicken.  Turns out, it's pretty easy. Check out this video for a quick tutorial:


Here's a shot of mine:


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Monday Mashup (on Tuesday)

Yes, I know it's Tuesday.  I'm going to try to start making regular blog posts.  The plan was to do this last night, but the power went out.  On Mondays I'll share the most interesting articles that I've found around the web.

Random:
-  As a fan of Swamp People, this 21 foot crocodile is impressive.  Oh yeah, they caught it live!
- Warren Buffet, Hypocrite - Warren Buffet went on the record saying wealthy Americans should pay more in taxes.  Turns out he already owes the government back taxes
- Spot Reduction is a Myth - Crunches don't give you a six-pack, low bodyfat does (duh).  Focus on what you eat, and lift heavy weights using compound exercises.  Stop buying ab-rollers, dummy.

 Football:
Since it's football season, chances are I'll probably devote some time to explaining how David Wilson gets to eat Chik-Fil-A on Sundays, and why the Logan Thomas Hype-O-Meter continues to skyrocket.

- Boise State's white uniforms looked great.  As did Oregons.  Georgia gets an "F" and Maryland get an epic fail:

Seriously...?

Yes, my Hokies ripped Appalachain State 66-13.  After losing three games in a row to start the season, and also losing to an unnamed FCS school last year, it was as fulfilling as beating up on a team can be.


Logan Thomas claimed his first victim, Bud Foster's defense finally showed glimpses of being lunchpail worthy, and David Wilson is a beast - Took the first carry of the season to the house, AND HE CALLED IT.

"(RB Coach Shane Beamer) told me I was getting the first carry" David Wilson said.  "Then I told him I didn't have to hear the second play because I was going to take it to the crib." 

Hokies get their first road test next week @ ECU.

Oh yeah, apparently the Colorado has a DJ in their locker room.

Baby-Moon

Leah and I took a couple days of vacation to spend an extended Labor Day weekend in Pensacola enjoying our "Baby-Moon" (aka the last weekend we can both travel until the baby bomb is dropped).  One of my co-workers graciously offered her house as a getaway.  (Thanks Diana!)

Thursday was great, as we toured Ft. Pickens, and then spent the day on the beach at the National Park.  Unfortunately, as the red flags on top of the lifeguard stands informed us of our impending doom....it turned out we decided to visit the beach during a Tropical Storm.

On the beach at Ft. Pickens National Park

Our canoe trip got rained out Friday, and we spent Saturday on lockdown watching the opening weekend of college football...which isn't such a bad thing at all.  Being a former fat bay, the best (and possibly worst) part of the trip was Diana leaving the house completely stocked with food.  On top of that, Hungry Howie's (Leah's favorite pizza place) was less than five minutes away. So, we ate there. Twice.  In total I'm pretty sure I gained five pounds...

On the way back we stopped by Leah's family reunion in Dadeville, and I got to meet a lot of her extended family members.  Despite the tropical storm, we still managed to have a great weekend.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Boston Butt on the Big Green Egg (Baby BBQ)

This past weekend we had a Baby BBQ at our neighbor Pam & Dex's house (aka "Club Canada", yes they are in fact Canadian).  The BBQ was intended as a baby shower for Leah, but since we had such a small wedding, it was also a great opportunity to get together friends from Birmingham that weren't at the wedding.  Leah and I decided we would take care of the food, so I was tasked with providing pulled pork for 30-35 guests.


As I had to explain to my sister, pulled pork (usually) comes from a cut referred to as the Boston Butt, which is from the upper part of the shoulder.  Boston Butt is a tougher cut of meat which contains a lot of fibrous connective tissue, which lends itself to being smoked low and slow on the Big Green Egg.  Cooking for a long time at low temperatures slowly dissolves the fat and tougher tissue, and leaves the meat extremely tender. 

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Behind the Times - RSS Feeds

Like many people, I enjoy keeping up with a lot of sites on the web.  I have tons of bookmarked sites that I try to keep up with regularly.  Lately, it seemed like keeping up with fitness, finance, and sports blogs had become a chore.  I felt like I was always forgetting to look at a website, and therefore missing out on something.

Also, like many people, I love finding easier ways to do things.  So called "Lifehacks."  Which got me thinking, wouldn't it be great if somehow I could keep track of all the sites I regularly visit, and know when there was new material available?  Sounds like a great market opportunity right....?

Friday, August 26, 2011

Stuffed Pablano Peppers

Leah and I had company over for dinner Sunday night. So naturally, I wanted to make something on my Big Green Egg.  We've made stuffed Jalepenos before, but they're usually too spicy and tear up my stomach after 1-2 poppers.  Not an enjoyable dining experience...hello Pepto Bismol.


My mom gave me the idea of using Pablano peppers instead.  They're bigger than Jalepenos, and not as hot, so they're ideal for stuffing and eating as a meal.  I made these two ways - stuffed with chicken and wrapped with bacon, and filled with whipped cream cheese, olives, and green onions for Leah.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Articles of the Week - Monday 8/22/2011

Every once in a while I'll share a few articles that I enjoyed from the previous week.  These will be from a wide range of topics....as you'll see today.

1.A Different Spin on compensating college football players.  A surprisingly well written article from a former University of Miami football player.  It seems pretty ridiculous that so many people profit handsomely from college football, yet most players are barely getting by. Makes you think.

2. Romantic Love Can Last - from Art of Manliness.  A pretty cool look at the brain's chemistry and mechanics when it comes to identifying the differences between romantic and companionate love.  No wonder so many people love "falling in love" and then can't stick around after the honeymoon phase.  Your brain has the same reaction to romantic love as it does to cocaine!

3. Buy, Hold, and Rebalance - from My Money Blog.  Think this last decade was a "lost decade" for stocks?  Think again.   Shows the importance of diversification, and continually rebalancing your portfolio.

4. Little Toddler Terrorists - from How to Be a Dad.  Without a doubt, my new favorite website.  Some absolutely hilarious stuff.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Meatza!

In general, I try to minimize my processed grain and refined sugar intake to my peri-workout nutrition and my post workout meal.  You could call it low-carb, or a loose "Paleo".  Eating this way, combined with lifting weights, has been the big reason I was able to shed 50 lbs. in two years, and have kept it off for two more years.

It doesn't take much for me to give into my carnivorous impulses, so tonight I made a pizza where the crust has been replaced by a layer of ground beef.  Hence the term "Meatza." 

This was a perfect choice for two reasons...both because Leah was visiting family in Florida.  First, Leah hates to use the oven in the middle of the summer in Alabama (I agree, it makes the house even hotter).  I'll get to the second reason in a minute...

Here's a photo of all the ingredients:


Start with 2 lbs. of ground beef, mixed together with 2 eggs.  Next spread the mixed ground beef on a cookie sheet, and season (I used Dizzy Pig's Cow Lick Rub).  Part of a Dizzy Pig Sampler pack that I received as a birthday present from my parents.

Bake the "crust" in the oven for 10 minutes, remove, and top just like you would a regular pizza.  For this one I used pepperoni, cubed ham, and a frozen pepper/onion blend.  Put back in the oven on broil for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.


I can usually put away half of a pizza (or more), but it didn't take long for this to fill me up.

Oh yeah, that second reason this was a perfect recipe for when Leah was gone?  She's a vegetarian!

Welcome to the New Blog!

I've taken the leap into the blogging world.  Insert generic "I've always followed other people's blogs and finally started my own" comment here.  But...I've decided to start writing for three reasons.
 
1. There is a ton going on in my life.  I'm recently married to my beautiful wife Leah.  (Her Blogs - Watching the Wolfpack & Following Fuller) We're expecting our first child (a Boy!) in just under two months.  Part of me feels compelled to blog and share our experiences together.

2. I have a terrible memory.  I'm notorious for having to do something immediately, write it down...or else I'll forget.  Pictures are great, but I know I've forgotten more details than I'll ever remember about all the trips I've taken, food I've eaten, and people I've met.  Hopefully a blog will help.

3. So I don't look like an alcoholic/complete fat kid on Facebook.  (Half Kidding)  Leah is growing tired of my photographic "Beer Journal," and cooking pictures, so she suggested this might be a good alternative.  I'll make random posts with reviews of beers I've tried and/or pictures of dead animal flesh that I've grilled on my Big Green Egg.

All in all, I'm looking forward to using this outlet to share everything going on in my life.